The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act on his words and find a “lasting solution” in Manipur without letting things go out of hand anymore and forcing the judiciary to intervene in a law-and-order situation.

Fr Jacob Palackapilly, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of the influential church body, was of the view that the Prime Minister’s statement on Manipur on Thursday had come too late, but at least now he should ensure that the situation is brought under control and peace is restored in the northeastern state that has been roiled by ethnic and communal violence for about two-and-a-half months.

“It is not the judiciary that should be handling law and order in a democracy. So, at least from now on the government should make the right interventions and find a lasting solution in Manipur without letting things go out of hand and force the Supreme Court to come out and intervene,” Palackapilly told The Telegraph.

Referring to Modi’s comments on Thursday, Palackapilly said: “This statement came too late. It is two-and-a-half months since the violence began in Manipur and yet the Prime Minister, who is responsible for the safety of all citizens, had been mum.”

Palackapilly felt that it was “sustained” pressure from Opposition parties and the emergence of the May 4 video clip of women being paraded naked that had forced the Prime Minister to break his silence.

“He had no other go but break his silence due to the sustained pressure from the Opposition parties and perhaps the emergence of the video clip of the sexual assault on women that has been circulating on social media platforms,” the clergyman said.

“The Prime Minister said his ‘heart is full of pain and anger’ over the video clip.... If that is so, he must act on his words and bring the culprits before justice and ensure appropriate punishment for all of them,” said the KCBC spokesperson.

Palackapilly urged the government to deal with all rioters and offenders with an iron hand.

“The government is scared that such video clips will reveal the ground reality in Manipur, which is why social media platforms have been asked to pull them down. This is quite like how the government ordered the BBC documentary to be barred online,” he said, alluding to the documentary India: The Modi Question, which examined Modi’s role in connection with the Gujarat riots.

The Christian community in Kerala has been outspoken in expressing concern at the Manipur violence. Several archbishops have lashed out against the Prime Minister and the Union government for letting things fester.

An archbishop who had offered to help the BJP open its account in Kerala with a Lok Sabha seat in exchange for a higher support price for rubber had eventually shed his affection for the party and slammed Modi. Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany of the Archdiocese of Thalassery had criticised Modi for claiming there was no religious discrimination in the country when asked by a reporter during his recent visit to America.

Against the backdrop of such criticism of the Prime Minister and the Union government, minister of state for external affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh last week called on Bishop Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil of the Archdiocese of Thamarassery, just days after he expressed fears it could be Kerala after Manipur.

“If it is Manipur today, will it be Kerala next? That is what we fear,” Inchananiyil had said.